Santuario di Santa Maria del Soccorso

The Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Soccorso (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) is a place of worship located in Castelfranci, near Vittoli Palace.

Located in one of the town's main squares, it is a building of immense religious value to the local community, whose devotion is linked to the miracles and protection that the population attributed to the Virgin during certain dramatic episodes, such as the plagues of the 17th century and the numerous catastrophic cataclysms that struck Castelfranci over the years. This sacred place became a sanctuary in 1909 by virtue of miraculous works.

Today, the three central portals of Baroque architecture adorn the 18th-century façade, lending solemnity to a simple masonry structure. A bell tower, built later, stands alongside the religious building: in Romanesque style, it is built on three levels, each with single-light windows on each side. A bas-relief on the exterior wall depicts the protagonists of a legendary event linked to the construction of the bell tower, namely a bricklayer and his dog who, according to tradition, fell during the building work. The interior has a nave and two aisles and a Greek cross plan. The long nave and the two side aisles join before the presbytery. The main altar has a painting of the miraculous effigy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help dating back to 1700, the work of the artist from Solofra, Matteo Vigilante, who also painted the canvas that adorns the vault, depicting Mary Immaculate. In addition to the entrance loft dating from 1870 and the paintings of Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian, there is also a polychrome wooden statue of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, attributable to Neapolitan religious art and probably dating from the mid-19th century. The Madonna's dress is a white silk brocade and her cloak is quilted with stars, like the dress that wraps the Child.

A religious symbol of the community of Castelfranci, the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Soccorro (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) is a precious architectural work that lends further artistic lustre to the wonderful Irpinian village.